Three interceptions.

Not tipped balls or such, but they were bad throws and bad decisions. Dumb dumb dumb.

BearlySober said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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WA Jim said:

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I was not impressed with our running game - could rear its ugly head against any team with a decent front

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I definitely would like to see running game be better. We don't have a "home run" back. (Lach Seastrong was a home run back)

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I always think of this play when it comes to Lache...watching him split the defenders and run away.

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Them dudes could score so many ways.

BearlyBeloved said:

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Three interceptions.

Not tipped balls or such, but they were bad throws and bad decisions. Dumb dumb dumb.

A junior with 5 career passes before Sat night.

I'll give him a little grace.

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BearlyBeloved said:

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Three interceptions.

Not tipped balls or such, but they were bad throws and bad decisions. Dumb dumb dumb.

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I'm not worried about this because the players who threw them won't be playing unless Lagway goes down, and if that happens, the season's probably over anyway.

WA Jim said:

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I was not impressed with our running game - could rear its ugly head against any team with a decent front

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This is my biggest concern as well. We couldn't just line up and push Prairie View A&M, which means we probably won't be able to line up and push anyone on our schedule this year.

I think our running game will be functional this year, but it won't ever be good. And that likely means we'll be a really good offense between the 20s but have trouble finishing drives for the second straight year.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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WA Jim said:

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I was not impressed with our running game - could rear its ugly head against any team with a decent front

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I definitely would like to see running game be better. We don't have a "home run" back. (Lache Seastrunk was a home run back)

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We don't have a home run OC who has a clue about how to design a run game scheme, other than the famously failed "up the middle" play.

I agree Spav can be vanilla in the run game, to the point of the defense knowing the play coming. Worrisome but more so is an OL that couldn't blow PVAM off the ball.

OL was much further ahead against Auburn than I expected. Our one legged QB had time to throw but through 2 games (one being an undersized limited front) we have not shown any ability to drive people off the ball which renders scheme somewhat mute.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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WA Jim said:

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I was not impressed with our running game - could rear its ugly head against any team with a decent front

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I definitely would like to see running game be better. We don't have a "home run" back. (Lache Seastrunk was a home run back)

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Your point is well taken about not having a home run back like Lache Seastrunk. He was completely electric and I wish we had someone like him on the team now. But I'll add that we also don't currently have an o-line that can create some of the running lanes that Lache had either. The passing game made a lot of the highlight tapes, but the magic of the Briles era was in the run game.

boykin_spaniel said:

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I agree Spav can be vanilla in the run game, to the point of the defense knowing the play coming. Worrisome but more so is an OL that couldn't blow PVAM off the ball.

OL was much further ahead against Auburn than I expected. Our one legged QB had time to throw but through 2 games (one being an undersized limited front) we have not shown any ability to drive people off the ball which renders scheme somewhat mute.

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I think this O-line is a lot like last year's -- good in pass pro, suspect at run blocking. Hopefully it will improve as these guys play together more because we'll need a solid run game to finish drives in the red zone.

Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

BearlyBeloved said:

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Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

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That would be a great number against a real opponent. I think the issue is that we didn't really dominate their D-line line the way you would have hoped that we would. Even some of our successful runs, like Knighten's TD, would have been losses against a real defense.

I'm not despondent or anything based on that rushing effort, but I'm not encouraged either.

BearlyBeloved said:

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Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

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5.5 is ok. I'm saying we don't have a threat to take it all the way. I think Pendergrass is fantastic. I'm just saying it would be nice if a back could get to the edge or split the guard and tackle for 40.

Seastrunk was other worldly. Chaplin and Linwood? Can slip (juke) at tackle for 12 more? I'd like that.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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BearlyBeloved said:

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Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

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5.5 is ok. I'm saying we don't have a threat to take it all the way. I think Pendergrass is fantastic. I'm just saying it would be nice if a back could get to the edge or split the guard and tackle for 40.

Seastrunk was other worldly. Chaplin and Linwood? Can slip (juke) at tackle for 12 more? I'd like that.

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MBG gets it.

BearlyBeloved said:

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Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

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Against Prairie View A&M, 7.5 per rushing attempt. Maybe 8.

Shock, Lache, Chapin, all found the gap and at contact all fell forwards 1-2 extra yards. The Briles running back prototype will never be duplicated. That stable was always full.

canoso said:

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BearlyBeloved said:

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Re: running. We averaged 5.5 yards per carry.

What number would make you happy??

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Against Prairie View A&M, 7.5 per rushing attempt. Maybe 8.

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One thing worth mentioning is that we were playing without our starting center and had a sophomore who played 18 snaps last year in his place. That likely had an impact on our run blocking success.

But that doesn't excuse our junior right guard getting called for about a million penalties.

I think our offensive line will likely be closer to average or slightly below than a above average or good this year. But we'll have a better idea what that unit is after it has played five or six games together.

The one thing I will say as a positive is that we're not a disaster up front. Before the season began, I had fears that we would be. We're at least serviceable. But that may be all we are this year, in the run game particularly.

ImABearToo said:

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Shock, Lache, Chapin, all found the gap and at contact all fell forwards 1-2 extra yards. The Briles running back prototype will never be duplicated. That stable was always full.

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Chafin doesn't belong in that conversation. He was never more than a No. 2 back for us and was a pretty average one by our standards at the time.

Serviceable is fine if you find ways to score in the red zone which Spav has not shown an ability to do. The QB run is always a plus but I'm guessing we don't want to run Lagway like a truck everytime we reach the red zone. Not a Spav pile on, we also don't have a Denzel Mims to lob the ball at. I think we're hoping Brown can be that somewhat but so far mixed results

boykin_spaniel said:

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Serviceable is fine if you find ways to score in the red zone which Spav has not shown an ability to do. The QB run is always a plus but I'm guessing we don't want to run Lagway like a truck everytime we reach the red zone. Not a Spav pile on, we also don't have a Denzel Mims to lob the ball at. I think we're hoping Brown can be that somewhat but so far mixed results

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It's just too early to really know what to expect from the offense at this point. There are just so many variables.

But I think we'll need this offensive line to improve with experience together and we'll need one of the outside receivers (and/or a tight end) to emerge as a true weapon near the goal line. I'm not sure we have that guy in the passing game currently, but there's still lots of time for one to emerge. Brown has some of the tools you look for, but he just has to prove he can make plays with consistency.

"He gone." We'll not hear or see something like that again if the status quo remains.

Bottom line is, like most athletic teams, we played to the level of our competition. It's just how most humans work. Look at all these SEC and BIG teams that struggle to something like a 10-7 halftime lead over Presbyterian. Yes, they typically wind up winning 70-7 because of depth, talent. Same thing on a smaller scale for us.